The 'prevailing culture of failure' at Tameside Hospital in Manchester led to three MPs publicly declaring they have no confidence' in Christine Green (pictured), the chief executive. She has now resigned

The chief executive of a scandal-hit hospital has resigned amid accusations that she presided over a 'prevailing culture of failure'.

It is understood that the decision was agreed with the Trust's board last week but the decision was announced today - the day that three local MPs renewed their calls for her to step down following revelations about poor patient care.

It is also understood that medical director Tariq Mahmood has stepped down but his resignation was agreed in April.

Jonathan Reynolds, Andrew Gwynne and David Heyes, the three MPs whose constituents use Tameside as their main local hospital, issued a joint statement today urging Ms Green to go.

The standard of care delivered at the trust, in particular the poor performance of A&E and the impact that 'poor management' is having on the delivery of health services at the hospital, was the key concern for the MPs.

Two investigations had found that care at the trust was so chaotic that patients were
being left in pain, having to wait up to four days to see a consultant
and were lying in corridors for hours because A&E was full.

The 'prevailing culture of
failure' led to three MPs publicly declaring they have no confidence'
in Christine Green, the chief executive, following revelations.

Long delays before
being assessed by a doctor are putting patients at risk, with some
admitted on a Friday not being checked by a consultant until Tuesday, according to two reports from NHS experts, based on visits in March and April and seen by The Guardian.

The standard of care delivered at the trust, in particular
the poor performance of A&E and the impact that 'poor management'
is having on the delivery of health services at the hospital, is the key
concern for the MPs.

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According to the newspaper, the MPs' intervention comes as the
CQC, which regulates NHS care, admitted its inspectors found problems at
Tameside's A&E unit, which was heavily criticised and depicted as an
overcrowded scene of chaos in the two reports.

A CQC spokesman told the paper it had instigated an
inspection after Jackie Hayden, the postgraduate dean for Greater Manchester,
passed on concerns first raised privately with her by a group of junior doctors
working in several departments at Tameside.

In need of overhaul: Two reports have discovered that patients at Tameside Hospital are left in pain, have to wait up to four days to see a consultant and languish in corridors for hours at a time

But the hospital says it commissioned the reviews so it
could 'understand' more about its delivery and that an action plan is
already in place to address the concerns.

Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of the NHS, is to report his findings into standards of treatment at 14
hospitals, including Tameside, later this month. They are expected to be highly critical.

In their letter to the Keogh review the MPs said: 'We
feel that the only way the prevailing culture of failure at the hospital can be
changed is for the trust to explore reviewing its senior management team.'

'We do accept that the chair has only been in post for
less than two years and we have confidence that he would be able to help carry
forward these changes and provide a level of continuity, however we have no
confidence that the chief executive would be able to lead this change.

'Only by taking this specific action, do we believe
that both the staff and the wider public will have their confidence restored in
the hospital.'

In a joint statement issued today the MPs said: 'We
have campaigned for many years to ensure Tameside Hospital delivers the level
of care expected of an NHS hospital.

'These reports reflect our own concerns and
the submission made by us to the Keogh review.

'Although the majority of care delivered by the
hospital's frontline staff is praised by patients, we have had serious concerns
about aspects of care and governance at the hospital for some time now, which
the hospital trust are well aware of. We have always stood by our previous
statement that new leadership is required.'

Sir Bruce Keogh's findings into standards of treatment at 14 hospitals, which are expected to be highly critical, are also due to be published this month

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: 'Substandard care in
hospitals is completely unacceptable - patients should not face excessive waits
for treatment and junior doctors must have the support they need from
consultants to provide patients with that treatment.

'That is why we are making changes to the CQC's (Care
Quality Commission) role, including the appointment of a new chief inspector of
hospitals, to provide a better way to expose bad practice where it exists in
the NHS and ensure it is dealt with swiftly and decisively.

'We have also begun
discussions on changes to the consultant contract to ensure that trainee
doctors have the support they need in the future.

'Prof Sir Bruce Keogh will be publishing his report on
Tameside Hospital shortly - this will ensure that they have the support that
they need to improve care for their patients."

A spokesman for Tameside Hospital said: 'The trust
takes the views and concerns of its staff very seriously, including those who
work day-in, day out under enormous pressure on the front line.

That's why we
specifically commissioned the reviews concerned, precisely so we could
understand more about our delivery on the front line and how its quality can be
maximised alongside support for our staff.

'As soon as the reports were received, we sought to
substantiate any comments or observations contained in them, although some
comments by individuals were not able to be substantiated.

'Within four weeks, we developed a specific action plan
to address the concerns in the reviews. This was signed off by the board over a
month ago, a copy sent to (health care regulator) Monitor and has been publicly
available via our website since the beginning of June.

'We were surprised to hear for the first time via The
Guardian of alleged comments made during proceedings of our local CCG (clinical
commissioning group), with whom we have an excellent working relationship. We
can confirm no such comments have been made to us.'

The spokesman said there would be no further comment at this
time from the trust's chief executive about the MPs' call for her to step down.

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'Christine Green, Chief executive of Manchester hospital must quit' after patients were 'left in pain for hours'